Nome Public Schools (NPS) is heading into the 2017-2018 school year with a new standardized test on its mind.

The Performance Evaluation for Alaska’s Schools (or PEAKS) assessment was implemented this spring. At a work session Tuesday, the Nome Board of Education reviewed the test scores, which show the district has room to improve. The average scores were behind the state, with Anvil City Science Academy students performing ahead of the district and state averages, while Nome Elementary School students performed behind them.

But Superintendent Shawn Arnold said that for a rural district like NPS, the low scores aren’t particularly concerning, especially given testing conditions this spring.

“Just days before the testing, I told teachers, ‘Just get it over with,’ because of past performance,” Arnold said. “We had the AMP test, that failed, we had to cancel it mid-way through the testing, we didn’t know what to expect. There probably might have been teachers who rushed through, got their kids out, so we may not have had as good of a measurement.”

The “AMP” he’s referring to is the Alaska Measures of Progress test, put in place by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) for 2015. In 2016, its second year, a failed internet connection with the University of Kansas institute that created the test, along with some other mishaps, led to its cancellation throughout Alaska.

After that, the Alaska DEED searched for a new vendor, finally contracting with a Minnesota-based company to create the PEAKS test. Arnold was openly critical of the new test, saying it’s “summative,” not “formative.”

He said, “It’s a one-and-done test, or, as I like to call it, in the assessment world, it’s an autopsy versus a medical check-up, a doctor’s visit. It doesn’t help us as educators inform what we can do to impact the students before us.”

According to DEED, the test is intended to measure skills and concepts in the Alaska English Language Arts and Mathematics Standards, adopted in 2012. Arnold pointed to the district’s late implementation of these standards as a reason for poor performance. It’s a situation he says he’s attempted to remedy since his appointment in 2014.

“When the gun went off for us to run the race, everybody else had already been running for a few seconds,” Arnold said. “So, as a district, we had kind of done a disservice in the past in not having caught up.”

Arnold said true change can only be measured with an instructional program and leadership after three years — coincidentally, the amount of time he’s been superintendent. So this year will be an important one for assessing new initiatives such as “social and emotional learning.”

While this year’s test was a baseline, Arnold said the PEAKS test is here to stay, and that “our schools will be identified as either failing schools or achieving schools, if our scores don’t improve. We get punished, it’s not good, we want to improve. So, this is where instruction is the core and the end.”

Going forward this year, Arnold is optimistic about improvement. But although the district will strive to be in compliance and continue incorporating the state standards, he says, it won’t live and die by them.

Image at top: Flickr, user frankjuarez; shared via Creative Commons.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2017/08/24/for-nome-schools-new-standardized-test-here-to-stay/feed/030728ACSA Students Finish the School Year with Shakespearehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/05/13/acsa-students-finish-the-school-year-with-shakespeare/
Fri, 13 May 2016 15:00:16 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=22897On Friday, the students of Anvil City Science Academy will perform condensed versions of three Shakespearean plays.]]>

NOME, Alaska — After weeks of rehearsal, the students of Anvil City Science Academy will take the stage Friday night to perform three plays by William Shakespeare. Most of the young thespians are new to the Bard’s works, but visiting director Paul Schweigert says they’re more than ready to deliver a night of comedy and tragedy.

Nome Public Schools took the first step toward recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day at a school board work session last week. That’s when Superintendent Shawn Arnold proposed a resolution aimed at adding the holiday to the district’s official calendar.

Observed on the second Monday in October, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an alternative to Columbus Day — one that celebrates Native history and culture instead of the European explorer, whose voyages enslaved and killed many indigenous people.

While Nome Schools does not acknowledge Columbus Day, Arnold said the district needs to go one step further.

“I was pleased that we didn’t recognize Columbus Day as a school district,” said Arnold. “But then why didn’t we recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day? That was something we needed to do.”

This year, Anvil City Science Academy did celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but it was the only Nome school to do so. Nome-Beltz Jr/Sr High School and Nome Elementary School recognized a general Heritage Day.

But several on the board — and in the audience — argued that the holiday should be specific to Native peoples, especially with 80 percent of Nome students identifying as Alaska Native or having Alaska Native heritage.

During public comments, five people expressed their support for the resolution, including representatives from Kawerak, Nome’s Northwest Campus, and the Maniilaq Association. Lisa Ellanna is the Wellness Director at Maniilaq, and she said recognizing the holiday could have a powerful impact on Alaska Native students.

“A lot of the research shows us that the number one protective factor to prevent suicide in youth is a strong cultural identity,” said Ellanna. “And if we recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day, that would be one step towards strengthening and validating who they are as Alaska Native people.”

Public commenters also argued that more cultural recognition leads to better grades and a better sense of community for all students.

The resolution — which would recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day at all Nome schools — will go to the board for approval at their next meeting. If approved, Nome will become the second school district in Alaska to formally recognize the holiday.

The board also discussed state testing at their recent work session, having finally received district results from the Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP). Students took the new standardized test for the first time last spring, but scores were delayed as the Alaska Department of Education discussed how to release the largely disappointing data.

The majority of students statewide failed to earn proficient scores, and Arnold said Nome’s results were on par.

“Overall, in comparison with the state, it wasn’t that bad,” said Arnold. “We do trail the state in some of the grade levels.”

Arnold said the low scores are not unexpected, given the new state instructional standards and the more rigorous testing, both implemented just last year.

To get over the learning curve, Nome Schools are adopting instructional materials better aligned with the new standards and providing more professional development for teachers. In the meantime, Arnold said the district will use a variety of assessment methods to get the big picture on student performance.

From the roof at Nome-Beltz to payroll processing at the district office, the school board talked upgrades at their work session last week.

The first fixes on the board’s agenda were those coming from a recent fire marshal’s inspection of Nome Public Schools. Dean Maschner is in charge of maintenance and janitorial services for the district. He said some of the required changes will be small — like adjustments to the fire alarm system and the magnetized doors at each exit.

“With the fire marshal report, there’s a lot of little things that are easily corrected. The overwhelming problem has to do with our generator,” he said. “A lot of the emergency lights have been neglected with the excuse that there’s an emergency generator that takes over right away. But we don’t have an emergency generator. We have a standby generator.”

That standby generator is from 1964. Maschner said it may be working now, but there’s no guarantee it could handle the electrical load needed in an emergency. Particular areas of concern include the tunnel between Nome-Beltz Jr/Sr High and Anvil City Science Academy as well as the gym at Nome-Beltz, which needs another fire exit in addition to upgraded emergency lighting.

Maschner said some of the changes will be handled by the district’s in-house maintenance crew in the coming months, while others will have to be contracted out. Total costs are estimated at $30,000.

While the district can cover those costs, superintendent Shawn Arnold says there’s not enough for a new roof at Nome-Beltz.

“The roof leaks have increased more and more and more,” said Arnold. “It’s to the point there are some ceiling tiles that are falling in. We have pipes that are growing mold from the constant leaks. The worst area is the gym. I think it was six trash cans — at last count — to catch the different drips.”

Arnold said the district hired engineers to inspect the chronically leaky roof, which was last renovated around 2003, and they recommended a complete replacement. The district is waiting on second opinions from other engineering firms, but the construction — if it moves forward — could cost $2 million.

That’s beyond the district’s budget, which has left the board looking for other funding.

Board president Betsy Brennan said the City of Nome managed the earlier renovations, and there may be recourse depending on the terms of that contract. Another option is to appeal to local legislators. Arnold said Rep. Neal Foster has been made aware of the problem and taken a tour of the school to see the conditions.

In the meantime, Arnold said second opinions will determine if the leaky roof is just an inconvenience or the sign of a greater structural problem.

“As far as the roof goes — structurally, is it sound?” asked Brennan. “Obviously, leaks are not good, but…”

Arnold said, “As other engineer firms come up to take a look, that’s something that we want to talk to them about, because [the first firm] had concerns.”

He said renovations to the roof would start next summer at the earliest.

And in upgrades beyond construction, the board discussed improving the district’s business operations.

Despite job postings at the regional, state, and national levels, Arnold said there hasn’t been one candidate qualified to replace outgoing business manager Paula Coffman — even after six months. To give the applicant pool time to recover, Arnold is suggesting the district partner with Alaska Education and Business Services, a company that takes on accounting, purchasing, and other business tasks for school districts around the state.

Arnold said the organization could save the district money and modernize the business department before they continue the search for Coffman’s replacement. The superintendent said he’ll officially bring the idea before the board at their next regular meeting — Tuesday, Oct. 13.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/10/05/leaky-roof-presents-nome-public-schools-with-funding-challenge/feed/118823Lisa Leeper is Nome’s First BP Teacher of Excellencehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/04/21/lisa-leeper-is-nomes-first-bp-teacher-of-excellence/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/04/21/lisa-leeper-is-nomes-first-bp-teacher-of-excellence/#commentsTue, 21 Apr 2015 18:31:36 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=15978With 1,200 nominations submitted from across the state, Leeper was one of 32 stand-out teachers to receive this distinction. ]]>http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2015/04/2015-04-20-bp-teacher.mp3

Anvil City Science Academy teacher Lisa Leeper is the first Nome educator to be honored as a BP Teacher of Excellence.

The program, sponsored by British oil and gas giant BP, began celebrating outstanding educators 20 years ago, with most winners hailing from the larger regions of Anchorage, Fairbanks, Mat-Su and Kenai. In 2012, BP began recognizing teachers from smaller, outlying districts, and Leeper is the first to hold the title from Nome. Over 1,000 nominations were submitted throughout the state, and Lisa received several from colleagues, parents and a student.

“I’m really excited and proud that I’ve been awarded this distinction,” she said. “I’m thankful that Mr. Hindman thought to nominate me.”

Todd Hindman, who is principal at the science academy, nominated Leeper because she’s always trying out new ideas with students of every age level. He says her dedication reaches beyond classroom learning.

“She does so much outside of school for the community. I always joke with Lisa, cause she has said in the past, ‘This year I’m gonna say no,’” said Hindman. “And I keep on telling her that the only ‘no’ she knows is ‘k-n-o-w’ because she’s constantly finding new things to do for the community.”

From teaching art at the elementary school during her prep period, to pioneering a morning gym jump rope program before classes—Lisa is always on the move. Her latest project is a Lego robotics club.

As immersed as Leeper is in the community now, moving to Nome originally held a lot of surprises.

“When I was in college, I said that I’m definitely not teaching kindergarten and I’m not teaching junior high,” she laughed. “And those are the only two jobs I’ve ever had since.”

Leeper has taught in Nome for over 15 years, most of those at Anvil City Science Academy.

“I meant to do two years here. Kind of get my Alaska adventure out of my system,” she said. “But of course being here, I loved it and I’ve stayed ever since.”

Leeper admits there are a lot of challenges when you’re a new teacher moving to a unique place like Nome. For those moving to rural Alaska for the first time, she advises that an open mind and willingness to invest in your new community makes for a better educator.

“Especially with this award I got, it makes me think a lot about the people who have helped me to do the things I needed to do as a teacher. I’ve had a lot of support from parents and volunteers and my friends,” she said. “So it really is just about networking and trying to get everyone involved, because it’s easier when we all work together.”

Recognizing that she has a limited time with each student, Leeper says she’s not afraid to push herself or her kids.

“I have high expectations for them, so when I see them achieving the things that I expect out of them, it’s just rewarding. It makes me want to keep pushing them because I see how it’s going to benefit them. I think they feel really proud of themselves when they accomplish something,” said Leeper. “That’s why you go into teaching.”

Hindman says it’s crucial to celebrate and reinforce our local teachers when they’re doing a great job, which he says hasn’t been formally done since he’s lived in Nome.

“That’s another reason why I nominated Lisa. Previous to this year there was no other means of getting recognition in the district, so I wanted to make sure that we started recognizing the quality teachers that we have here,” said Hindman.

This year, Superintendent Shawn Arnold is initiating a Teacher of the Year program to celebrate Nome’s teachers and staff. They are still seeking nominations for classified staff.

As part of Leeper’s award from BP, the science academy will receive $500, which is going toward hosting Kellen Baker—a former science academy student—as artist in residence at the end of this month.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/04/21/lisa-leeper-is-nomes-first-bp-teacher-of-excellence/feed/315978Young broadcastershttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/03/01/young-broadcasters/
Sun, 02 Mar 2014 02:17:09 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=7316In early February, KNOM was proud to be host to local students for a day of educational projects, introducing the children to broadcasting and interviewing skills as part of an artist-in-residency program. The 5th- and 6th-grade students visited our studios from Nome’s Anvil City Science Academy, a local charter school. In small groups, the students…]]>

In early February, KNOM was proud to be host to local students for a day of educational projects, introducing the children to broadcasting and interviewing skills as part of an artist-in-residency program.

The 5th- and 6th-grade students visited our studios from Nome’s Anvil City Science Academy, a local charter school. In small groups, the students spent time behind the microphone, honing their interviewing skills by speaking with notable Nome residents.

The visit involved the coordination of Nome teachers and, of course, a number of KNOM’s staff and volunteers. Pictured above is program director Kelly Brabec, guiding two students through an interview in KNOM’s Studio C. Pictured in the foreground (at right) is student Sarah Wade.

We know that visits like these are not only appreciated by the students and their teachers, but also fundamental to our mission – especially our goals to educate, engage, and inspire our community.

Thank you for helping KNOM encourage a new generation of broadcasters: whether over the airwaves or inside the studio. It makes such a difference.